Necromancer
by wolfteam000
Summary: (Sequel to Retribution) (Post 7 year time-skip Edolas) Her marriage, her kingdom and her life are falling apart in front of her very eyes. But when he disappears, she has to embark on a journey to the underworld to save him before she loses him forever. She has to, because she's the only one who can.
1. Everything Changes

**Everything Changes**

* * *

Recommended: Structure - Innerparty System

* * *

_癡癡地想了多少夜， 我還是不瞭解是什麼能讓我們今天會分別。_

___Having thought about it senselessly for so many nights, I still don't understand what could have made us drift apart._

* * *

His footsteps quickened as the sound of arguing filtered through the closed doors. Laxus sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair. Those two just couldn't stop.

She had always been headstrong and proud, with a reputation for being cruel and sadistic. He had always been gentle and kind, his pacifistic approach clashing bitterly with her nature. Somehow, he had managed to break through the walls she had erected around her heart and she in turn, had come to terms with her feelings for him.

But that had been 3 years ago.

He hesitated as he reached the door, hearing the bitter words being exchanged inside. His fingers rubbed at the smooth wood, his eyebrows knitted in frustration. It had started out with small spats and minor arguments in regards to politics and warfare policies. They would have fights every now and then and then kiss and make up, or maybe take it a step further in their reconciliation. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips but it disappeared as quickly as it came. Lately, it had taken a turn for the worse. They still fought over matters concerning Edolas but most of the time, they just argued about everything.

It was no surprise to see Erza acting this way, having always been someone who never held back her fiery emotions. But to see Jellal losing his cool and snapping at her for the most trivial things was odd. No, he shook his head. No, it was _disturbing_. The two were complete opposites in regards to their personalities but one of the reasons their relationship was successful was because he had come to love her despite all of her flaws while she had forgiven him for his previous actions, namely abandoning Edolas for Earthland, and had come to accept his love for her. But now? Now it was all breaking apart in front of his eyes and he had no idea why.

Erza glared at him as he walked into the meeting room. Laxus surveyed the room with a quick sweep of his eye. The council members were cowering in their seats and Erza was standing up, snarling in the king's face. Jellal was also on his feet, looking positively furious, his grip on the table tightening with each word being thrown at him.

"Well?" The female asked.

The blonde winced slightly at her tone. "Just got the report. 58 fatalities. No one saw anything and no one could tell me anything. The only thing we know at the moment is that claw marks were found on all of the bodies, mostly on the chest." He sank into his seat and flipped through the papers. His eyes were grim as he spoke again. "And by claw marks, I don't mean beast-like scratches. They're more like puncture holes. 5 clean holes in the chest."

The tension between the king and his female captain deflated slightly as the news sank in. Erza sat back down, the frown never leaving her face. Jellal made an agitated noise at the back of his throat and did the same.

"So did they die from internal injuries caused by the claw marks?" Erza leaned forwards, resting her elbows on the mahogany table.

Laxus grimaced. "No, none of the marks penetrated too far into their bodies. The wounds were pretty superficial. I'm not sure what's causing all of this. They're still working on the autopsies, I think they're nearing a breakthrough with identifying the cause of death, but so far, the autopsy reports only rule out poison." He leant forwards. "I'm hesitant to say this but it seems to me that it's magic."

Gasps rang out in the room and a flurry of chatter erupted. Magic was lost to Edolas with the exception of the army as they had X-balls. For someone else to use magic would either mean that someone had managed to procure the magic pills or that magic was finally returning to Edolas, and both did not bode well for the kingdom.

"So there was no army, nothing at all?"

"No," Laxus replied tiredly. "No one saw anything. The entire town just about got wiped out. That was it."

Jellal drummed his fingers on the table, lost in thought. If someone had gotten their hands on the X-balls, then he or she was going to use magic to either destroy his kingdom or to usurp him. On the other hand, if magic was somehow flowing in Edolas once more, that would be even more complicated. It would pose the question of how magic was returning and then he would have to deal with the whole 'whether to use magic' fiasco all over again. Should he ban the use of magic in that case? Should he allow magic usage once more considering it no longer came from Earthland through the Anima? And of course, he would also have to respond to the sudden chaos and panic if such a scenario occurred.

Erza's voice jolted him from his thoughts. "We should send a small team to scout the area. We need more information on the enemy."

"I think we should send some troops to secure the area and engage the enemy if necessary," Jellal countered.

"No." Erza shot him a look of disdain. "We don't know what we're dealing with and from the looks of the report, the enemy is dangerous. You can't send in the troops there blindly without first ascertaining the situation."

His eyes flashed dangerously but he struggled to keep his voice even. "We need to secure the area to protect the neighbouring towns."

"And possibly have the entire 2nd Magic War Division wiped out by unknown forces?" Erza raised an eyebrow.

The king narrowed his eyes. "I'm merely trying to prevent any more unnecessary deaths. Or would you prefer to leave the civilians there to fend for themselves?"

Her hands balled into fists. "I am trying to prevent unnecessary deaths, _Your Majesty_," she hissed, dropping his title mockingly. "Division 1 and 3 are fighting the rebels on the Western front and Division 4 is engaged with the capital's security measures. We cannot risk sending another squad to Bakarat without assessing the situation!"

He slammed a hand onto the table. He knew that he was being goaded and he knew that it was better to stay calm but he was sick and tired of fighting with her every day. "I cannot stand by and do nothing when there is a serious threat to the civilians there!" She glared at him, her face contorted in fury but he did not back down. "It is my duty to protect the people of Edolas!"

She got to her feet quickly, knocking her chair backwards with a clatter. "And if our troops are wiped out there, then Edolas will fall! It is also _my_ duty to protect Edolas!" She shouted. "Don't you _ever _question my duty to Edolas."

"I'm not questioning your duty to…"

"We've actually just received word that Division 1 and 3 have managed to contain the situation. Division 1 will remain at the borders for a bit longer but Division 3 is already on their way back to the capital." One of the Councilmen interrupted rudely.

Jellal waved a hand carelessly in his direction, eyes never leaving her. "There, now we can send another squad!"

"You can't send out another squad! The Division 3 troops are exhausted! You can't rely on them to protect the capital or to act as reinforcements if whoever you send out to Bakarat is eliminated thanks to your utter stupidity!"

"Know your place, Captain," he snarled. "I will _not_ tolerate any more disrespect from you."

Erza looked murderous. "I'm merely speaking the truth."

Laxus buried his face in his hands. He didn't even know why he was surprised anymore. He ran a hand through his tousled hair and opened his mouth to interject. "What if we sent a few elite soldiers to scout the area? Just a small group. If anything should happen, they should be able to hold their own and to protect the civilians until backup arrives."

Erza glanced at him, her mind working furiously. That was a decent suggestion, one that would act as a compromise between her and Jellal. "Che, I guess that sounds alright."

"Fine," Jellal conceded. "Laxus, gather up a team of your best soldiers and go scout the area. Try not to engage the enemy if possible. Gathering information and ensuring the civilians' safety take priority."

Laxus shot Jellal a warning look but it was too late.

"Why are you sending soldiers from Division 5 to deal with this matter? Division 2 is in charge of foreign affairs! This should be my mission!" Erza exploded.

Jellal took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat back down. "This is exactly why. You're too emotionally charged and I can't afford any mistakes."

That was the final straw for Erza. Arguing over foreign policies was acceptable. But to question her professionalism and capabilities? She took a menacing step towards him. She had worked hard to get to where she was, earning everything from rank to reputation and she took fierce pride in being the best fighter in Edolas. So for him dismiss her like some ordinary soldier was insulting.

"I am the best soldier Edolas has ever seen. I don't _make_ mistakes." She was shaking with barely controlled fury.

"I'm not sure if it's a good idea for me to go," Laxus started slowly. "Knightwalker's division is in charge of foreign affairs after all. My division's primary responsibility is to ensure your safety, Your Majesty."

"Just go Laxus," Jellal waved a hand dismissively. "If anything should happen, then Division 2 will act as your backup."

Erza looked to argue with him but Jellal raised a hand. "Go, Laxus. Now."

Laxus hesitated.

Erza snarled angrily and strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Laxus stared at the blue haired man. Jellal was shaking, head bowed.

"I'll prepare the squad and head out tonight, Your Majesty," Laxus said quietly.

Jellal did not reply, instead turning to look out of the window, eyes hidden by his blue locks.

Sitting patiently at the meeting room table, Laxus waited for all of the Council members to leave the room before speaking once more.

"Jellal, please," he paused for a moment, searching for the right words. "Please try to…understand."

Seeing the lack of response from his king, Laxus sighed and made his way towards the doors. He had moved past the doors when the quiet whisper echoed around the room.

"I am trying…"

* * *

He slowly trudged back to his chambers, fatigue washing over him in waves, threatening to overwhelm him.

The arguments, the fights, they had all been dragging on for so long, and he was tired. He was just so tired. But he couldn't afford to feel this way, not with a rebellion breaking out on the borders and with an unidentified threat bearing down upon his kingdom. He couldn't afford to feel this way because his marriage was falling apart in front of his eyes, crumbling into nothing but dust, and he had no idea why.

His desolate footsteps echoed along the hallway. Was it because he didn't love her anymore? His eyebrows furrowed. To say that he no longer loved her seemed a little too…extreme but he had to admit, the feelings between them had dulled. Everyday, they would wake up, run through the kingdom's business and go to bed. There was no spark. He saw her as his wife but no longer did he want to pull her close to him, kiss her softly on the cheek and whisper things in her ear. He didn't feel anything anymore. Maybe he was just…bored.

Bored. It was such an ugly word. It made it seem like he had been toying with her all these years. It made it seem like he was just tossing her aside now because he was _bored_. In a way, he felt disgusted with himself. He was not a bad man. He was not one to toy with another's feelings. Honour and compassion were qualities he cherished deeply but no matter how hard he tried, and he had tried vehemently, he just didn't, _couldn't_ feel anything. But what did he want? What did he _feel_?

Jellal shook his head wearily, a hand pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't know and he didn't want to know. It was easier to just carry on without thinking about anything.

He slipped into the room as quietly as he could. He didn't feel like talking to Erza tonight. But then again, he hadn't felt like talking to her in private for a very long time.

She was sitting on the edge of her bed, body covered with a thin layer of sweat, her hair plastered to her forehead. It was obvious that she had been letting off some steam in the training grounds. He watched her fiddle with her leg gauntlets for a moment. She was as beautiful as the day he had met her, with her crimson hair and ample breasts, but that was all there was to it. There was no sudden urge on his part to hold her close, no passionate feelings welling up inside his chest. He felt nothing for her and he hated himself for it.

"Jellal."

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked at her dumbly. "Hm?"

She threw him a look of disdain and he felt the anger rising in him again. Dropping the gauntlets onto the floor, she advanced towards him and he steeled himself instinctively.

"You have to stop being so sentimental when it comes to making decisions. Stop thinking with your heart and use your head for once," she spat out.

"Believe it or not, I'm trying to do what's best for Edolas. Just because you disagree with my decisions doesn't mean that I'm a brainless moron," he snapped back.

"You could have fooled me," Erza scoffed. "You don't look at the bigger picture. You're just concerned with what's in front of you and you're going to lead this country to ruins very soon."

An inexplicable sense of anger coursed through him and he fought to keep from lashing out. He closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. Calm down, he needed to calm down.

"Do not. Underestimate me." He snarled, "I am an S-class mage and the King of Edolas. I _know_ what I'm doing."

"Clearly you don't." She took a step forwards. They were so close together that he could feel her warm breath again his face. "If Faust were still here, none of this would be happening. He would have handled it well. Sent out a squad to assess the situation and then dealt with the enemy."

"Well I'm not my father!" His eyes narrowed into slits. She knew damn well he was nothing like his father and to constantly compare him with the man irked him to no end.

"And the difference couldn't be more obvious. Edolas has never seen better times than under his rule. Then you come along and suck out all of the magic and now, Edolas is just going to hell."

He let out a short bark of laughter. "I merely took back what Edolas unjustly gained. And the rest of it was of no fault of my own; the famine, the natural disasters, the current threat."

"It is your fault! You're the king, you should be able to make the correct decisions and deal with everything!" Erza burst out furiously. "Faust was a genius, that's how he made Edolas into the most powerful force in the world." She shook her head in despair. "He was a much better ruler than you."

His temper peaked once more at the mention of his father. "And I am a better man than he is! He desired power more than anything else but I value peace." He opened his arms, palms facing up. "We can no longer go around invading other people's kingdoms just for our own selfish gains."

"You can call it selfish but it was for the greater good! We did what we had to do."

"You're just hiding behind your delusional sense of patriotism where everything has to revolve around Edolas, trying to convince yourself that everything you do is for Edolas but in the end, you're all just fueled by greed and by your god-like egos!" Jellal retorted.

At that point, Erza grabbed him by the collar, her hand fisting in the loose fabric of his robes as she dragged him down to eye level. "You don't know what you're talking about," she hissed, absolutely livid. "You know nothing. You. Know. Nothing." She shoved him backwards forcefully. "But that's to be expected, you left Edolas when you were 11 for 8 years. You probably don't know how much Edolas has suffered in the past. You were too young." Her hands trembled, knuckles white. "We were weak. We were weak and the neighbouring lands took advantage of it, plundering and invading our kingdom."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"Why do you think I worked so hard to become a captain at such a young age? Why do you think Faust wanted magic? Why do you think he wanted power?" She was almost screaming, voice trembling with emotion. "Because we _needed _all of those things. We needed magic because magic is power. And power means Edolas will _never _suffer such humiliation ever again. We did everything so that our kingdom could survive while you were off gallivanting around in Earthland, oblivious to our suffering and hard work. So you have _no_ _right _to criticise us. You know _nothing_, you bastard.

He recoiled instinctively. If what she said was true, then she was right. He knew nothing of the pain and suffering Edolas had endured over all those years. He didn't understand what they had gone through and ruling without understanding was dangerous. Knowledge was power and he was weak. But he had no choice, this was something he was born into and something he had to embrace. And to hear those words coming from her cut into his heart because for some reason, he knew that every single one was true.

"No!" He closed his eyes, refusing to look at her. His entire being ached to lash out at her, to hurt her. "Enough!" He was breathing heavily, fighting to keep his temper in check. "Enough. You've said enough."

He didn't understand what was happening to him. He was actually contemplating hurting her physically. That simple thought would have been unthinkable a few years ago but now? Now he wasn't so sure and this change, this transformation scared him because the sane part of him, the part not corrupted by his rage, was the only thing holding him back. And the worst part was that that sane bit was growing smaller and smaller each day.

"It's times like these when I wish I had never come back. Life in Earthland was so simple," he said quietly.

She stared at him, eyes wide in shock and disbelief. "You…you coward," she breathed. "You've never regretted abandoning your duty after all this time. You're still trying to run away now!"

He looked into her eyes. "Maybe you're right," he whispered. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for any of this."

Something akin to sadistic satisfaction tugged at his heart as he saw the anger and fear enter her eyes and by the gods, he hated himself for it.

He hated himself so much.

* * *

With a muted grunt, he heaved the saddle onto the back of the horse. Giving the stallion a pat on the neck, the blond started fumbling with the straps. A chilly breeze swept through the area and he shivered at the sudden drop in temperature.

A puff of white smoke floated in the air as he exhaled sharply. Weird, he thought to himself. It was still autumn and the sun was shining brightly. It wasn't supposed to be this cold. Huffing, he shook his head, hoping fervently that the weather would turn warmer. After all, it was going to be a day's long journey. Normally it would only take a few hours on their Legions but he had opted for their horses this time. He didn't want to alert the enemy as to their impending arrival.

Laxus turned towards the northern gates. The mountains loomed in the distance, their normally emerald shades of green cloaked by a silvery curtain of mist. It was a strange phenomenon, one that he had never seen before. He squinted. Contrary to here, there was no sunlight in the north. He breathed out another puff of white smoke. He couldn't shake off the eerie sense of dread in his chest.

A cloud drifted lazily by and the land was plunged into darkness as it blocked out the sun. The captain looked up. A soft white glow peeked out from behind the edges of the cloud but they were soon swallowed up by the floating grey mass. A strong breeze swept through the area and he turned his back to it.

"Let's go!"

With a dig of his heels, he swiveled his horse around and spurred it on, racing through the forest with the wind through his cape and the thunderous noise of galloping hooves ringing in his ears.

It looked like a storm was brewing.

He just hoped that he could outrun it.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**Both are being mean and hurtful and Jellal's just being a stupid idiot.**

**So no honeymoon period for those happy feelings (I assume / hope they're happy feelings) Retribution's ending left you with. Here's the 7 year time-skip Edolas fic where I pretty much destroy everything and shit all over your feelings. Yeah, it's gonna be great.**


	2. When It All Falls Apart

**When It All Falls Apart**

_反正__夢__都是太匆匆__，__反正__愛__只能那__麼濃__，__心__與__感情__讓__它粉碎__，__飄__散在__風__中。_

_Since dreams disappear quickly and love can only be so strong, we might as well let our hearts and feelings be crushed and scatter in the wind._

* * *

The sunset in the distance painted the sky a hazy orange, melting with the purple pink strips of cloud blending effortlessly with the navy blue sky. The cool breeze danced around him, ruffling his robes and tousling his hair playfully. A small smile appeared on his face for the first time in days. It was too beautiful a day to be anything but content. That was until someone interrupted him by knocking on the door.

He let his head drop down to his chest and sighed. "Come in."

"Your Majesty," Hughes said with a salute. "My troops and I have returned safely and I just wanted to give you an update on the current situation."

Jellal swiveled around to face him and waved him on. "Please."

Hughes relaxed slightly. It seemed like the King was in a better mood today, most likely because there were no meetings today, which in turn meant that he did not have to argue with Erza. Hughes did not know what was going on between those two. They had always argued about the running of the kingdom. It was their weird little way of proposing ideas to one another while keeping each other in check and they had shared a mutual respect and admiration for one another, although Erza would probably deny any of this. But then _something _happened 3 years ago. No one knew what had happened but their relationship had gradually descended into utter chaos. One would have thought that Mystogan would have stepped in at that point, considering he was Erza's husband and a trusted captain to the King. Unfortunately, that man was never around when those two were arguing, which was quite odd if one thought about it carefully. Hughes shrugged it off without another thought. The entire situation was too complicated for him to think about.

"We've suppressed the rebellion and managed to arrest all of the rebel leaders." Hughes frowned slightly. "Division 1 is still working at securing the area and helping rebuild it although I'm not sure where Captain Mystogan is right now, but I'll prepare the report as soon as possible sir."

Ah damn it. He had completely forgotten to alter his thought projection. Jellal pinched the bridge of his nose. Maybe keeping his alter ego around had been a mistake. He only ever needed to use Mystogan when there were conflicts and that was also when the King needed to take charge of the situation. Too much work really. And this was now a new problem to be solved. Great.

"It's alright Hughes. Captain Mystogan came back ahead to…work on something for me," Jellal explained.

"Yes sir." Hughes said. It was not his place to question the King's orders. "Um, I have a small request sir." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Yes?"

"I'd like your permission to host a party tonight."

Hughes normally wouldn't ask for permission but from what he had heard, they were in the middle of a war with an unknown enemy. It was probably not the best idea to throw a party without explicit permission. His face grew redder at the thought.

Jellal leaned back in his chair and nodded. A party was definitely not what he wanted to have when their soldiers needed to be alert in case they had to fight but then again, it had been a long few years. The troops had been dealing with the relief efforts as a result of the earthquake and famine before turning their attention to the uprisings in Januzaj. It had been a very long and grueling 5 years. They needed a break and something like this would boost morale.

"As long as they don't get too drunk. I don't want our soldiers incapacitated if an emergency comes up."

Hughes saluted. "Yes sir!"

Jellal watched the man scurry off excitedly. Maybe it would be a good idea to go tonight. It would certainly take his mind off of things.

* * *

15 years.

It had been 15 years and that idiot still had not learnt from his mistakes. He was still avoiding his duty, running away from all of his problems. Maybe it was just the way things were. Maybe Jellal had always been a coward. Maybe people just couldn't ever change.

She scowled, a harsh frown marring her face. She had wanted to believe that he could change, that he had merely made a mistake all those years ago due to a combination of stupidity and youthful arrogance. But she had been wrong. And she hated making mistakes.

Mumbling obscenities under her breath, she made her way to where the party was being held. She flicked a stray strand of hair out of her eyes irritably as she thought back to yesterday's events. The anger welled up in her chest once more at the thought of him dismissing her so callously. He, of all people, should know that it was absurd to question her loyalty and duty to Edolas. And to slight her professional capabilities? The man was stupider than she had previously thought.

Erza snarled angrily at the bitter memories. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to hurt him and to hurt him bad, really bad. And she knew _exactly_ how to make a man like Jellal hurt.

* * *

So, he had actually decided to join in the fun today, albeit as Mystogan. With a smirk, she brushed past him almost teasingly. She knew he was watching, she could feel his intense gaze burning into her back, but then again so was half the room. It wasn't often that Erza went to such functions, so for many, it was a rare opportunity to see the Captain lighten up for the night. By changing out of her usual attire, only donning a low cut shirt, black shorts and boots, she was sending him a signal. One most likely to anger him in light of recent circumstances. And she knew that he would get it.

Jellal had expected some sort of retribution for his earlier behaviour and he was right. She was going to make him watch as she made every single man in the room fall for her, dancing circles around them all the while taunting him to let his jealousy dictate his actions and to step in and protect what was his. She was playing a dangerous game, one that he was bound to lose. He grabbed a glass of golden brown liquid and downed it, eyes never leaving her form. Well, all he had to do was not play her game. Simple really, or so he thought.

But then again, nothing was simple when it came to the two of them.

It was never simple.

* * *

Erza looked at the man standing beside her, a glass in his right hand and another which he offered her. His name was Dan Bendtner. He was Sugarboy's lieutenant, if she remembered correctly. She nodded in thanks and took it. Normally she wouldn't indulge in such meaningless exchanges but she did enjoy the occasional attention. As much of a hardened soldier as she was, she was still a woman and she did like to feel wanted, something which had been sadly lacking from her husband. Smiling coyly, she glanced in Jellal's direction, smirking at the grim look in his eyes. So, he _was _actually keeping tabs on her.

She took another sip from her glass, pretending to be listening to whatever Dan was yammering on about, yet her mind was on Jellal all the time. It puzzled her, how the two of them still looked out for each other even when their marriage had deteriorated to such a degree. She always had the excuse about protecting the King as part of her duties, but him? He was the handsome, supposedly single, King of Edolas. He could have any woman he wanted and yet he was here, still playing right into her hands. Still, it was endearing, how protective and possessive he was despite the fact that they were drifting apart.

Her grip around the glass tightened. But what if all this meant that there was a chance that the two of them could work things out?

Her eyes softened. She needed to try one last time. She owed him that much at least.

She turned to leave, only to stop as a hand grabbed at her arm. "Where are you going?"

A hand drifted down lazily towards the knife concealed at her waist as she leaned in to whisper in the man's ear, her cold eyes hidden by the crimson hair falling down past her ears. "I'll let it slide this time, but touch me again and you lose that hand of yours."

Smirking, Erza straightened up before someone pushed her out of the way carelessly. She stumbled backwards and her eyes widened in shock. "Mystogan!"

* * *

There was a faint buzzing in the air and time seemed to stop. All he could think about was that this man needed to pay for his actions. What his actions actually were, he couldn't remember. All he knew was that the blind fury in him demanded that he punish this man.

A feral grin spread across his face. His senses were heightened and he could feel every muscle in his arm tense and contract as his fingers dug deeper into the man's throat.

Why was he doing this again? He couldn't remember but he didn't care. It just felt right.

The rhythmic pulsing under his fingers soothed him and he pressed down harder, feeling it grow weaker with each crushing grip of his hand. He was so close, just a little more and he would be able to feel the brittle bones in his windpipe crack.

The soldier clawed at his hand but he couldn't even feel it and it was this numb sensation that triggered his hesitation. Really, why was he doing this?

Someone slammed into his side suddenly, knocking him out of the way and time started flowing once more, the pounding music and shouting around him filtering back into the world.

Dan collapsed onto the floor, clutching at his throat, his face red. Jellal blinked. The blinding rage had left, leaving a hollow feeling in his stomach. A part of him was stunned that he had lost control and attacked another member of the Royal Army. The other part of him was confused. He had long thought that he no longer cared for her.

He remained sprawled on the floor, looking up at the female who had attacked him to save another's life.

Fuck, what was happening to him?

People were calming down now and he could hear laughter and chatter once more. Jellal picked himself off the ground gingerly and Hughes flashed him a grin before hauling Dan up. "Bendtner, you idiot. You should know better than to hit on Knightwalker, of all people! She could castrate you any time you want if her husband hasn't done so already."

The rest of the troops burst out laughing but Jellal could see the shock lingering in her eyes.

He had made another mistake.

Too many mistakes.

Erza strode over to him, her face betraying none of the emotions swirling in her heart but he could see the unspoken message in her eyes.

_Let's go and talk about it now. In private._

* * *

Erza didn't even wait till the two of them were in the safety of their chambers before ripping into him.

"What the **hell** were you thinking, Jellal?" She hissed.

"I wasn't thinking," he growled.

He was angry with himself. He had lost control again, something that was happening more and more often lately and it was something he didn't understand.

"Well, use your head then!" She snapped back. "You nearly killed the guy!"

"You…" he struggled to find the right words to defend himself. "He was hitting on you!"

"You nearly _killed _him, that doesn't even count as half an excuse!"

Jellal swallowed the bitterness in his throat. In some ways, he didn't feel that it had been entirely his fault. She had started the game, knowing that he would play it. Maybe she hadn't expected him to lose that badly but still, she knew that he would act sooner or later.

His eyes narrowed at the thought. "He should have known better than to touch what was mine."

Erza stared at him in disbelief. "Don't make me out to be your property, Jellal," she said, her voice low.

He slammed the doors behind them. "You know, having fun is one thing, but actually going to flirt with other guys? I have my limits!"

She grabbed him by the collar. "I wasn't flirting and I could have handled it myself. I don't need you swooping in like some sort of fairy tale prince to rescue the damsel-in-distress."

In a way, Erza knew she was lying. Her initial goal had been to make him jealous and to hurt him but she had actually changed her mind before she had managed to actually put her plan into motion.

His hands encircled her wrists. "Well it didn't look like that to me. In fact, you looked like you were enjoying it."

The implication was clear and he could feel her body tense at his baseless accusation.

For a second, he saw stars as she slapped him across the face, hard. He didn't look at her as she spoke, her voice shaking with anger. "I'm sick of your shit, Jellal. Get it together."

"I would," he said, nostrils flaring, "if our marriage weren't falling into pieces."

This time, the message was less clear. What he had meant to say was "It's so obvious our marriage is falling apart. I'm losing control of myself and I can't fix all of this. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

She let out a low chuckle, which slowly grew in volume until it had turned into loud laughter. She stopped abruptly and turning to Jellal, she threw him a look of pity.

"Really Jellal, do we even need to go through it?"

He whirled around, shaking hands reaching for the handle. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had known for some time, but to hear her actually say it hit him hard.

"I'm taking the guest room tonight," he croaked out, voice thick with emotion.

He could hear the sadistic glee in her voice and his hands were shaking so badly that he could barely open the door. He glanced back at her, his grip on the handle tightening. She stared at him impassively, her face expressionless save for the small smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. He just prayed that it was all a façade to hide the turmoil in her heart.

"Do you…" he swallowed, "do you still love me?"

Silence met him and he cursed himself mentally. That was a stupid question. She had never said those words to him even when they had started out.

"Erza…"

A flicker of emotion flashed through her eyes dangerously. "Are you giving up?"

The blood was pounding in his ears. He could hear his breathing clearly, his every heart beat ringing in his ears. "Is this over?"

No, this couldn't be.

For a second, he could have sworn that something akin to guilt flickered across her face before her emotionless mask slipped effortlessly back into place. "Are you running away again?"

It all boiled down to this; the incident where he had left Edolas all those years ago. It had been 15 years ago and despite her claiming that she had forgiven him, she was still holding it over his head because deep down, she had never truly forgiven him. And he doubted that she ever would. He doubted that she ever could.

Downcast eyes filled with tears and he strode through the doors, slamming them behind him.

Yes, it was truly over.

* * *

His horse pawed at the ground restlessly, shaking its head and tossing its mane wildly. Pulling on the reins lightly, Laxus stroked the side of its neck reassuringly.

"Hey buddy, it's alright," he whispered soothingly. Sweet words, he mused, but complete and utter lies.

He knew why it was acting this way. The mist seemed to surround them, growing thicker by the minute. He couldn't see more than a foot in front of him. His horse snorted, shifting around nervously and the captain stroked its mane again, urging it onwards with a little kick to its sides.

The town was completely devoid of human life, the rotten stench of decaying flesh making him gag. His eyes took in the horrific sight before him as he and his team moved through the streets, the gentle clopping of hooves echoing around him. Corpses littered the streets but there was no blood.

Laxus dismounted his stallion, landing on the ground with a thump. His armour clanked noisily as he raised the torch, squinting through the fog. Kneeling down, he pushed over a corpse. Claw marks, he noted to himself, with no penetrating wounds or blood. There were only five holes aligned in a half-circle above the heart, almost as if something was trying to rip out the heart but with claws that were too blunt to penetrate the body.

"Be on your guard, men," he called out, straightening up.

He made a grab for the reins, frowning as his horse shuffled around, ears twitching agitatedly, eyes wide with fear. "Hey, hey," he chided gently. Something was wrong, he could feel it. His suspicions were confirmed as a low growl sounded behind him.

Laxus could hear the soft clicks of claws scratching against the cobblestone ground behind him. His horse suddenly reared up, letting out a loud scream. He snapped around just to be hit on the side of his head by one of its legs and collapsed onto the ground. Pain exploded in his head and his vision turned white. He struggled to raise his head, his fingers scrabbling at the sandy ground, vaguely registering that his team's horses were panicking, the ground shaking as some of them ran wild, racing through the streets. He rolled aside just as one of them thundered past him, narrowly missing his head by inches. The captain stood up shakily. These were well-trained stallions. To be able to scare them this badly even though they were with their riders was bad.

Whatever was coming, it was very bad.

With a grunt, he concentrated his magic, summoning a sword made of pure electricity into his hand. Blue sparks crackled around his body as he turned towards the direction of the enemy.

The beast rounded the corner. It vaguely resembled a human, cloaked in flickering black flames and smoke. Red eyes glared at him and he took a step back. His team was of no use to him now. Half of them had been dragged off by their horses and the other half were absolutely petrified. Still, it was only 1 beast but Laxus wasn't sure whether to be scared or to be relieved. If 1 beast had laid this much destruction to the town, then it was damn powerful.

He steeled himself, the electrical energy concentrating around him. The air crackled around him. "Stay back!" He ordered his men, eyeing the beast warily as it started circling him like a predator hunting its prey. "Stay back!"

The beast slowed, letting out an animalistic howl. Laxus swallowed. What on earth was this thing?

* * *

Jellal stormed through the hallway, ripping off his bandana and mask. He didn't know what to do anymore. Bursting through the doors to the guestroom, he shrugged off his armour and kicked off his boots, leaving them strewn all over the floor carelessly. Fuck it. Right now, the world could go to hell for all he cared.

He strode into the shower, turning on the faucet without bothering to strip down at all. The man closed his eyes, savouring the feeling of icy water streaming down his face, cascading down his shoulders, soaking through the thin fabric of his shirt and pants. Strong hands swept back his blue hair, fingers digging into his scalp in frustration.

Fuck no. He wasn't going to give up, not without a fight. He couldn't just roll over and accept this, not after all the shit the two of them had gone through to be together.

No. He was going to fight for her. For them.

His eyes snapped open, gleaming with determination.

All they needed to do was talk, right?

Right?

He hesitated, placing both hands against the wall to support himself.

But hadn't that been exactly what he had been trying to do for the past 3 years? Hadn't he been fighting tooth and nail to keep their marriage together?

He hesitated. Maybe he hadn't. Maybe he had been too busy arguing with her, too wrapped up in his anger and frustration to actually have a genuine conversation with her.

His eyes narrowed as something stirred within him.

But…she had. She had always been a fighter and she had seen the warning signs. She had tried to reason with him countless times. He, on the other hand, had failed to pay her any heed.

The sudden realisation left him exhausted and he sank to his knees.

He needed to talk to her but would she forgive him?

Slowly, he looked up, watching as the water droplets continued to rain down on him.

No, he wasn't crying. It was just the water from the shower. That was all there was.

A faint knock sounded in the distance but he ignored it. As the time dragged on, the knock turned into an urgent hammering on his door. Deciding that he could no longer tolerate the irritating sound anymore, Jellal turned off the water and dragged his tired body to the door.

"Your Majesty! I…" Lahar stopped, gaping at the king, who was dripping water all over the floor.

"What is it?" Jellal snapped irritably. He was not in the mood for anything.

"I…um…have the latest autopsy reports…"

Dark eyes scanned the papers quickly. Jellal vaguely registered Lahar explaining the details but he had long stopped listening as something interesting caught his eye.

_Remnants of dark magic found in the hearts…_

* * *

He was losing.

His entire team had already been killed. One minute, he was staring at the beast, then the next minute, he found himself staring down at the lifeless bodies of his men. The only reason he was still alive was because he was fast enough to keep up with it, but only barely.

The waves of electrical energy he was sending through his sword was not affecting the beast at all. Gritting his teeth, Laxus tried his best to push back the beast but it was stronger than he was and soon he found himself pinned to the ground, his sword drawing closer and closer to his own throat as the beast pushed down on him.

He wasn't too worried about his sword than those claws. He could dispel his sword anytime he wanted but those claws were definitely bad news. Shifting slightly, he brought up his knee sharply, ramming it into his enemy's gut.

The beast roared and Laxus kicked its feet from underneath it, flipping it to the side. He scrambled to his feet and whirling around, sliced through the air. The beast was gone. His heart skipped a beat.

Fuck.

* * *

…_and drawn towards and through the holes on the chest…_

* * *

The blond turned around and something slammed into his chest. He looked down slowly and gasped as the grip tightened around his chest. The beast flexed its claws, ripping at his skin. Laxus bit back a scream as the blood oozed out from the holes in his chest. How on earth did those claws penetrate his armour?

He could feel something being pulled out of his body. No, he shuddered, something was being sucked out of him. A searing pain ripped through his chest. He could feel his breathing slow down, his vision gradually grow dark.

He was dying.

* * *

_Cause of death: soul consumption_

* * *

With a large heave, he summoned the last of his magic and concentrated it around his heart, forming a temporary electric barrier. The beast let out an inhuman shriek and withdrew sharply as the electricity shocked it. With its grip on him loosening, Laxus collapsed onto the ground.

He couldn't see anymore. All he could hear was the wind in his ears, his laboured gasps pounding in his head. He couldn't breathe. He struggled to inhale but for some reason, he couldn't breathe. His hand clawed at his chest in futile desperation as asphyxiation settled in.

"Captain!"

The voice cut through the air and Laxus gasped. It seemed like someone had survived. He turned towards the sound. He needed to get a message to Jellal.

"No," he choked, "no, don't help me." He was running out of air. "You go back and tell the King. Tell him…" he shuddered, body twitching uncontrollably, "it's…a black flag."

"What's a black flag?"

Laxus did not answer.

* * *

_Enemy:_

* * *

The beast roared, throwing its head back in agony as it thrashed around. Snarling savagely, it slammed down on Laxus' chest once more, its claws piercing through his armour and digging into his skin. The choking feeling gripped him and he lost his concentration, causing the magic barrier to dispel instantly.

_Sorry Jellal…_

_Guess you're on your own now…_

The sucking sensation returned but this was lost on him as Laxus closed his eyes one last time, allowing the darkness to claim him.

* * *

Jellal felt the world around him stop as the papers fell from his hands.

_Necromancer._

* * *

**Author's note:**

I actually inserted a lot of inside jokes in this chapter, which is funny to me but no one will understand it, shame.

I was actually going to go on hiatus until someone came back to the fandom and then Ari broke it the next day. Way to go buddy.

I don't watch the FT anime, so if something is non-canon in the manga, then the odds are that I don't know about it and even if I do, I'm probably getting stuff wrong. So yeah, Dan is someone I just picked out from the FT wiki because apparently he flirts with all the girls. I did like the pun for his name though. Bendtner is actually a decent footballer in real life btw. Just saying.

The whole argument thing was supposed to be completely different when I planned it but then I realised I had already killed off Mest in Retribution so yeah, that didn't work out.

And, the beast is the Necromancer's summoning, not the Necromancer himself. I was basing its appearance loosely on Berserker from Fate Zero.

And woo, finished this chapter on a 4.5 hour bus ride. Awesome that the bus has wifi too so I'm uploading it now.


	3. Phenomenon

**Phenomenon**

只是為何當初你是不聽所有紛紛擾擾流言之中漫天風雨你會選擇了我？

_Why is it that initially, you refused to listen to the chaotic rumours and still ended up choosing me amidst all of the wind and rain?_

* * *

Jellal loosened his collar. This was another massive problem which needed to be solved fast but this was nothing like anything he had encountered before. While black magic was commonly used by dark mages in Earthland, it was almost unheard of in Edolas, where magic was almost entirely stored in objects and in lacrima.

He slumped back into his chair impatiently, arms crossed across his chair. He had given Lahar two days to conduct his research and his Head of Research was now calling an emergency meeting to address the situation but they were still waiting on the man himself.

The room was silent. The captains (Jellal had decided against asking for the council members but had opted to keep his thought projection of Mystogan around) were quiet, lost in their own thoughts. They seemed to sense their King's somber mood and none of them were willing to break the silence.

Jellal could feel Erza sneaking glances at him, curious as to his darkening mood, but he was too anxious about what was unraveling before him to dwell on it. In fact, he was so preoccupied with what was happening right now that he had completely forgotten about their earlier fight, that was until now.

"Where the _hell_ is he?"

He stood up angrily, pacing over to the windows. Lahar needed to explain to him all of the research on the necromancer and then he needed to relay the news to Laxus. Throwing his hands into the air, he asked exasperatedly. "Does anyone know where he is?"

Blank stares greeted him and Jellal let out a sigh as he turned back to look out the window.

It was strange. Frost was already forming on the windows, the crystallised ice flowers refracting the soft moonlight. He pressed warms fingers against the cool glass and a foggy vapour formed around each digit. He retracted his hand, flexing it to warm it up. Maybe winter was coming much earlier than expected this year.

His eyes drifted downwards towards the platinum set of chess pieces on the pedestal next to the windows. The king's piece weighed heavily in his hand. It was made of solid platinum, most likely an expensive gift from one of his father's allies. Placing the piece back onto the board, he selected the rook. He twisted it between his hands, eyes tracing the light reflecting off of its silver surface.

He used to think that his best friend was his bishop, but now he was beginning to see him as more of a rook. It was not only the symbol of power but also that of a strong and solid supporting foundation. Laxus was one of his most reliable captains, with brute force and intelligence at his disposal. He was his most trusted advisor, giving advice from things related to the running of Edolas to matters regarding his relationship with Erza. And most importantly, he was his best friend. He was there to help him through the rough times and to help him pick up the pieces after he had screwed up. He was there to cover for his mistakes and to guide him along the right path. Yet he was not here when he needed him the most, because he had made the wrong choice to send him away.

His fingers curled around the third chess piece just as Lahar strode through the doors. "I apologise for my tardiness, Your Majesty. I just happened to uncover more information about the enemy."

Jellal sat down at the head of the table. "Tell me."

Lahar coughed lightly. "For those of you who don't know, we are dealing with a necromancer now." Lahar ignored the looks the captains shot one another. "There wasn't much information on the necromancer but I managed to find some ancient Acnologia scrolls on him."

He spread the scrolls on the table. "The necromancer resides beyond the Gate of Tartarus in the Underworld. He uses black magic to summon dark creatures to do his bidding. I think that the clawed beasts that have been attacking the towns and villages are his summonings."

"How is he able to use magic?" Hughes asked, eyebrows furrowed as his brain tried to process the information.

Lahar pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "I can't say for certain how he is able to do it but I believe that his source of magic comes from the Underworld. Magic works differently in that realm."

He paused for a moment, looking at Jellal to see if he had any questions but the blue haired man continued to stare at the table, fingers rubbing it absently. Shrugging, Lahar continued. "The necromancer's summonings differ in appearance but they all consume souls. Their claws do not penetrate into the chest but the beasts somehow consume the souls of its victims by placing their claws above the heart. And if all of that wasn't bad enough, the scrolls say that once the necromancer manages to collect 300 souls, he can break through the Gates of Tartarus and enter our world."

"Then how do we defeat him?"

The question was simple but everyone turned to look at Jellal, surprised that he had finally spoken up. He in turn, continued to gaze aimlessly at the table, hands twisting the chess piece still hidden in his hand.

"Until he actually steps through the portal to Edolas, there is nothing we can do. We are in separate realms."

Jellal's tone was harsh. "So are you saying that his summonings will continue to consume souls until they gather enough for him to break through the Gate?"

The room fell silent once more.

Erza ran a hand through her hair. The only way to stop the summonings was to kill the necromancer, and to kill the necromancer, they would have to enter the Underworld before he could manage to gather 300 souls.

"Can we enter the Underworld through the Anima?" She proposed.

Lahar shook his head. "The Anima can only work between the living worlds such as Earthland and Edolas. We cannot enter the world of the dead through it."

Erza was stumped. The Anima may not work but she was sure she knew of someone who could open such portals. She just couldn't put her finger on it right now.

Damn it, who was that person?

Jellal let out a hiss of frustration and stood up, making his way over to the windows once more. The silver knight chess piece lay forgotten on the mahogany table.

"What if we asked…"

Everyone's attention was drawn towards the doors as they burst open and a battered soldier charged into the room, interrupting Jellal.

The blood was crusted all over his face and his hair was matted with dried blood and grime. Breathing heavily, he managed to gasp out. "Your Majesty…we have a black flag…"

Black flag.

His eyes widened.

"Wait, black flag?" Erza looked to Jellal for an explanation. "We only have red, green and yellow. There is no such thing as a black flag."

Jellal stumbled backwards, his back hitting the wall with a loud thump. He didn't even need to ask who had given the soldier the message. There was only one person in the world who knew what a black flag was.

"_Yeah," Laxus spread his arms out, gesturing towards the map spread out on the table. "So this is our army's military map."_

_Jellal plucked out a small green flag. "What do the colours for these flags stand for?"_

"_That one," Laxus took the green flag from Jellal and stuck it back into its original position, "means that the troops are there on patrol duties. The yellow ones mean that the troops are stationed there because there is a potential threat and the red ones mean that the troops are currently engaged in battle."_

"_So what about where the troops are losing, like where they have to retreat?"_

_Laxus scratched his head. "That's covered by the red flags."_

"_And what about where we've lost?"_

_Laxus laughed heartily. "We have never lost under Faust." He wagged a finger at his friend. "Never."_

_Grinning at the skeptical look on Jellal's face, the captain grabbed a spare flag from the table. "Look, if it makes you feel better," he scribbled over the flag with a black marker, "we'll have a black flag for situations where we've lost completely. Whole squad wiped out. The rest we'll just leave under the red flag." He punched Jellal on the arm. "There's no one in Edolas who can beat us, I mean only you and Erza can give me a run for my money and we're on the same side. What could possibly go wrong?"_

There's no one in Edolas who could beat them. What could possibly go wrong?

Apparently a lot, since their enemy was not from Edolas.

Erza crouched down to his level, hovering in front of where Jellal had slid down the wall. Normally she would have taken a much harsher approach with her husband but right now, she knew that his state of mind was too fragile to handle such treatment.

"Your Majesty," she started firmly but gently. "What is a black flag?"

Jellal buried his head in his hands. "A black flag is where the entire team has been wiped out," he said, his voice muffled. Sweeping his hair back, he looked up with red eyes. "That is, except for him."

"Which division are you from?" Erza turned to the soldier. "What happened out there?"

The soldier saluted stiffly, wincing slightly. "Division 5, Captain Knightwalker. A beast came out of nowhere and attacked our team. All the soldiers are dead but the Captain asked me to return with the message about the black flag."

"Is Laxus dead?"

"He was wrestling with the beast when I left..."

Jellal cut in before the man could finish his sentence. "He's dead. Laxus and I created that code only for the worst scenario possible. It's only luck that he managed to get someone to relay the message to us instead of having us find out by ourselves."

Erza looked at Jellal. She was stunned to hear the news. To actually manage to kill Laxus, the beast would have to be insanely powerful. She said a silent prayer for her fallen comrade and stood up. She had no time to grieve. They needed to kill the necromancer as quickly as possible while defending the kingdom from the summonings. They needed to get to the Underworld.

A knock sounded. Without waiting for an answer, Coco entered the room. "I apologise for the interruption, Your Majesty, but 2 beasts have been sighted attacking the town of Adnan."

Erza watched as a steely resolve entered Jellal's eyes. Standing up, he assessed the situation quickly. She smirked. Good, it looked like the old Jellal was back.

"I want Mystogan to go to Adnan."

Ok, maybe not.

"That's not a good idea, sir." She said testily, trying not to lose her temper. "Division 1 is still securing Bakarat."

She leaned in closer to Jellal, lowering her voice so that only he could hear what she was about to say. "I know this is a very hard time for you but don't, _don't_ make any rash sentimental decisions. You're the King, you can't just go charging into a battle anytime you like. This isn't a game."

Pleading eyes turned on her. "Erza, you don't understand. They killed him. I have to go. I _need _to kill those bastards with my own two hands," he whispered desperately, his determined expression breaking. At that moment, Jellal looked like a lost boy and she felt her heart break a little.

"You need to stay here and think of a way to enter the Underworld while we deal with his summonings. We need to kill the necromancer before his summonings do any more damage and collect more souls." She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "_I'll_ go and kill those dogs for you."

Outwardly, Erza's expression remained neutral but he knew better. He could see the hurt in her eyes. He could see the anger manifest itself in her rigid stance. He knew that she would keep her word.

He looked at her with something akin to wonder and her eyes softened. It almost reminded her of the man he had fallen in love with all these years ago. Loving, caring, longing. She placed a hand on his arm gently.

Her heart sank as his eyes suddenly hardened.

"Sugarboy, you'll go," he barked out an order suddenly.

"I…" Sugarboy looked at Erza helplessly.

She could only stare at him. "Why?"

She didn't understand. Why wouldn't he ever let her carry out her duty? Her division was the one in charge of foreign affairs and he was blocking her at every turn. Was this punishment for their earlier argument?

Jellal snapped his fingers at the rest of his audience. "Leave us."

Everyone trooped out of the meeting room dutifully and once they were all out of earshot, she asked him once more. "Why?"

"Because it's dangerous. I don't want you to go."

"Bullshit," she spat out. He did not look at her and she could feel herself starting to grow angry. "Jellal, you know that I am a soldier first and foremost. It is my duty to fight Edolas' enemies and to protect our kingdom. Danger is a part of my job and I've accepted it the moment I decided to become a soldier. Don't act like you don't know it. So, I will ask you one last time. _Why_ are you doing this?"

He looked up from where he was sitting. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he swallowed and he finally spoke in a husky voice, "I've lost Laxus today," he choked on his words, "I can't afford to lose you too."

She was a bit touched by his concern for her but her annoyance with his logic overshadowed the positive feeling. "Don't let your fear blind you, Jellal. I'm going."

His hand shot out and grabbed at her arm. "No, I can't allow it." He took a deep breath and continued, "I'm not giving you an option, Erza. This is an order."

His weakness was starting to annoy her. He was making all of the wrong decisions and Edolas was going to pay for it. "An order I cannot go through with. I will fight, Jellal, whether you like it or not."

"Are you challenging my authority, Captain?" A harsher quality entered his tone and Erza noted with satisfaction the fire rekindling in his dark eyes. "That's bordering on treason."

"I swore my loyalty to you under the conditions that I deem your decisions beneficial for Edolas and right now, what you're doing is not." She turned around to leave.

The air in the room suddenly grew colder and a suffocating feeling descended upon them. She could feel the dark aura radiating from him. "Don't force my hand, Knightwalker."

Erza almost grinned. He only ever called her by her last name or by her rank when he was getting angry. She sighed and made her way over to his side. He was furious with her disobedience, that much she knew. Jellal would shout when he was frustrated or mad but the quieter he grew, the angrier he was. And right now, he was very, very quiet.

"Jellal," she murmured his name. He would not look at her. "You have to trust me."

He wanted to tell her it was impossible, that that trust had been lost a long time ago but he couldn't bring himself to say the damning words. Truth be told, he didn't know what to do half the time anymore. He couldn't think clearly and he felt like he was going crazy.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

The man looked up in surprise but by that time, her hand had already connected with the base of his neck and he pitched forwards limply into her arms, unconsciousness swallowing him.

Erza laid his head to rest on the table. He looked so peaceful, without a care in the world, and she smiled sadly. "I'll be back soon, and when I get back, we're going to make things work." Her fingers brushed against his cheek lightly. "I promise."

* * *

He blinked blearily. There was a sharp stinging pain at the back of his neck. What had happened?

His eyes shot open as the day's events caught up with him.

_Erza…_

Shit. She was gone.

Jellal bolted for the doors.

He ran to his chambers, grabbing at his staves. He put on his armour and mask hastily, calling out for Coco. She rounded the corner. "How can I help you, Captain?"

"I need a Legion. Now." He bit out tersely as he made his way towards the courtyard.

"Yes sir."

"Did Sugarboy go with Division 2?"

"Yes sir."

That would leave Division 3 and the rest of Division 5 in Edolas. He glanced at the girl. "Coco, get me a horse and then relay a message from the King to the troops for me. Division 3 will be responsible for the Palace's security. Division 5's lieutenant will resume command temporarily and they will be in charge of the Royal City's safety."

Coco saluted and dashed off.

Fuck.

He knew he was being irrational and emotional but he couldn't help it. He knew he was doing the wrong thing but he couldn't stop himself. He needed to go.

Mystogan stepped out of the palace. The cold air hit him and he shuddered. It was getting very cold.

_Damn it Erza, you'd better not die on me._

* * *

Erza landed on the tree branch nimbly, the leaves rustling faintly. The mist swirled around her almost menacingly and she exhaled, watching as a puff of white smoke drifted past her. She shook off the cold feeling. This was her mission, one that she was well suited to. She cracked her neck. It had been far too long since she had been on something like this.

Her troops had managed to corner one of the beasts. It resembled a black panther, but with red eyes and charcoal black smoky flames surrounding its body. She could see the razor sharp claws on its paws. Its tail curled and twitched, the sharp spike on the end flicking around.

She watched as her soldiers attacked it with their spears and swords but they passed through its body. It seemed like physical attacks wouldn't work against it, although their weapons could block its claws and tail.

Leaping down into the fray, her soldiers formed a circle around her and the beast. It crouched down low, a rumbling growl sounding in its chest. She twirled her lance expertly. "Physical attacks can't hurt it," she said to her soldiers. "Its body is probably made up of smoke or fire or something intangible." She raised her spear to block a swipe at her. "But it's claws and tail spike can be blocked."

She sidestepped another attack and lashed out to her right, the Ten Commandments connecting with the beast. The explosion rocked the area, the fire engulfing the beast, and she leapt back, waiting for the smoke to clear. Had she killed it?

A piercing cry echoed through the area and the beast reared back, snarling and raving. Erza sprang forward but it spun around, its tail catching her across the waist and throwing her against a wall. She hissed in pain, a hand going to her belly. The spike on its tail had caught her, leaving a long gash across. The blood was oozing out of the deep wound quickly, slowly staining her waistcloth a blood red.

The beast roared once more and charged at her. Her spear changed form quickly and she blasted it across the area with a vacuum blast. Fingers fumbling with the white cloth, she tore it off hastily and tied it around the wound. She was losing a lot of blood but this would have to do for now.

Her enemy thrashed around on the ground as it struggled to get up. She advanced towards it, eyes following the animal warily. It shifted around on its feet but stumbled and fell as its knees gave way. It seemed like her magic had wounded it quite badly.

Erza leapt forwards, her Explosion Spear raised above her head as she prepared to deal the final blow when the beast suddenly sprang up, red eyes gleaming and whipped its tail from behind it.

That damn thing had been faking all along.

The spike ripped through her shoulder and the momentum spun her around. She screamed at the pain, vision blurring as tears sprang to her eyes. Gasping, she brought up her spear to block the claws aimed at her chest. The beast was very strong and she was losing too much blood to hold out for long.

A blue blast of magical energy smashed into the beast, launching it through the air before skidding across the ground. Erza closed her eyes in exasperation. That idiot. Always trying to play the hero.

She grabbed his outstretched hand and Mystogan pulled her up. Ripping a strip from his cape, he tied it around her shoulder. She didn't miss the way his fingers lingered tenderly on her skin for a bit longer.

"You idiot," Erza breathed out. "You stupid, irresponsible imbecile."

"Love you too sweetheart," he muttered sarcastically. "By the way, I've finally figured out how to get to the Underworld…"

The breath was knocked out of him as the beast barreled into him, sending the both of them crashing through the wall of an abandoned house. It landed on top of him, the claws on one paw piercing through his arm greave and the other paw pressing down against his stave. Mystogan tried to knee it in the gut but his knee passed through its body.

"What the hell?"

With a large heave, he started pushing back against the beast, his back half-raised off the ground. Suddenly, something slammed into his chest and the force propelled him backwards and his head cracked against the ground. His hold on the stave loosened and he tried desperately to focus but his vision was swimming.

Damn, he had forgotten about the tail.

He gasped as a burning cold sensation gripped his chest and something seemed to be pulled from it.

The summoning was sucking his soul.

A fireball hit the beast's head, sending it flying in the opposite direction. Erza clambered through the hole in the wall. "Are you ok?"

"I...don't know…" he said breathlessly. "It got me for a few seconds." He shook his head. "I think I'm alright."

"Idiot," she muttered once more and pounced on the fallen creature. A large black orb formed at the tip of her Gravity Spear and she stabbed it into the beast's chest. It roared in agony as the gravity core expanded around it, slowly consuming it, leaving nothing behind.

Mystogan grinned at her from behind his mask. It felt good fighting alongside her once more. It was just like old times. He looked at her with half-lidded eyes as the realisation sank in. He still loved her.

"Erza," he said, brushing the dust and debris off of himself. "I…we need to talk about everything when we get back."

Erza turned towards him, ready to berate him for his stupidity and recklessness when his eyes suddenly rolled back into his head and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Jellal!"

Her eyes widened at the sight of the hole in his chest plate. No, it couldn't be. It had only touched his chest for a second, there was nowhere near enough time for it to suck out his soul. "Jellal, come on, wake up!"

She slapped his face roughly and he opened his eyes briefly. A faint chuckle passed his lips. "Sorry…guess I really screwed up this time…"

Erza was at a loss. He wasn't dead yet, there hadn't been long enough contact for the beast to take his soul, but he was dying and a little part of her was dying with him. So she did the only thing she could. She cut off her emotions and allowed her professional side to take over.

She bit her lip as a painful pang shot through her chest. "Jellal," she could see the spark fading in his eyes and her breath caught in her throat, "Jellal, I need you to tell me, how do I get to the Underworld?"

He was fading in and out of consciousness but she could tell he was fighting it desperately. He pulled her closer to him and he whispered into her ear. Her eyes widened at his answer.

Quickly, Erza threw him over his shoulder and scrambled out of the house. Whistling for her Legion, she gestured for her lieutenant to come over. "Resume command here. I think Sugarboy should have killed the last of the beasts by now. Wrap things up here."

Her lieutenant saluted. "Yes Captain!"

Taking a few running steps, she hopped onto the passing Legion's back, the wind whipping around her. She set him down on the Legion's back. He clutched at her, mouthing soundless apologies over and over again but she forced herself to look away. She couldn't fall apart now. He needed her.

A small pink ball of magic formed in her hand. Closing her eyes, she recorded her message in it and tossed it into the air. The ball arched through the air before dissipating, and she knew the message was sent and received.

_Bring me Lady Minerva and Lady Ultear._

* * *

**Author's note:**

Because pain brings people together the way romangst brings us together :P

I actually finished this chapter / entire story's plan before I read FT 356, so no, I'm not copying Mashima's stuff and no, it's not going to correspond with what's happening in the manga. (Definitely not the first time my (earlier) plans have matched Mashima's plots. Was gonna do the whole turn back time and make everyone young again in AIF but I never got round to updating and now my plot has been blown apart. Can't complain too much though, I neglected that fic since 2011, kinda is my fault). Although it would have been cool for the beasts to be those 9 demons and the necromancer to be END but that's not going to happen because I'm lazy and I can't be bothered to rethink everything again. Plus I can't use the Book of Zeref (thus the Scrolls of Acnologia) since Zeref appeared in Retribution already. And I get free reign of Edolas characters so let me destroy everything for you. It's good for the feels.

I can't believe I actually went and looked up "Chess Pieces" and "Value of Chess Pieces" for this chapter.

So apparently killing off the character (Laxus) which you based on yourself is an interesting feeling. But yeah, I can't say anymore because that would spoil too much of the story.

And I promise there won't be any more arguing from Mystwalker for quite a long time. Promise. And even though I break promises the way cookies crumble, I intend to keep this one (only because I've planned out the chapters hurr).

On another note (and this is a pretty long note), I know the whole use-magic-in-Edolas thing is not ideal. It's because I got confused by it in Retribution and now it's carrying on into this fic for the sake of consistency. Sorry, we're stuck with this. Try to overlook it and go with the flow the way I overlook all of Mashima's nakama punches, plot armours and X-ball explanations. Or you could go with another theory. Since Mystogan can perform magic through the use of hand signs in Earthland, I guess he does have a little magic stored in his body so we could go with that, or maybe limit it to those who use Castor magic. But this whole magic thing isn't going to matter too much here since we're going to enter the Underworld soon anyway, so yeah. Can't wait to get there, that's where the real fun starts.

The original plan was to have Jellal use a sleeping spell on Erza and for her to charge off after waking up, with him chasing her. And before anyone starts jumping up and down claiming they know who the necromancer is, I just want to point out that I haven't made up my mind as to who it will be yet. I'm debating between 2 characters but I'm leaning towards one in particular since the other one is the main villain in my Greek mythology Mystwalker fic Legends. So yeah, we'll see how it all goes.

And the original plan was to have chapter 3 stop where Mystogan chases after Erza but I thought that then chapters 3 and 4 would be two really short chapters and so I decided to combine them.

My author's notes are pretty much my thought process, all over the place I tell you. But hey, see, good does come from reading my crap in the AN, even if it's as long as my chapters. Woops. And if you like to torture yourself by reading some extra tidbits which will never get published here or if you just like sneak peeks, my tumblr is the place to go.

Having neglected my work for the entire fall break, tomorrow's gonna be utter hell when I start catching up.

I got quite a few reviews last time so here's an early chapter. Do I get presents this time round?


	4. Heaven Can Wait

**Heaven Can Wait**

**Recommended:**

Earthland 1 - Hymn of the Missing (Guillotine Remix) or original – Red

Underworld 5 – Acre Underworld – Assassin's Creed OST

* * *

She crossed the room in three strides, a wet cloth in her hand. He stirred faintly in the background and Erza rushed over to where he was reclining on their bed.

"Erza…"

His voice was so weak that she nearly missed it and this scared her. To see him so weak and vulnerable, it brought forth the possibility that this was actually it for him.

Shushing him gently, Erza knelt down besides him. Drops of sweat beaded his forehead and she wiped them from his brow. His face was burning up, eyes glazed over in delirium, but at the same time he was shivering, his hands ice cold and his lips blue.

He swallowed painfully, she could tell as he had closed his eyes, eyebrows furrowed. Licking his lips, he tried again. "Erza…"

"Don't speak," she immediately chided him.

A smile curled at his lips and he shook his head. "I'm sorry," he croaked hoarsely. "I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry for how I've treated you these last few years. You deserve so much more but I've caused you so much pain. You deserve everything but I've hurt you and I'm sorry."

She shook her head, soundless words forming on her lips. She wanted to tell him that he was wrong, that she wanted him to stop talking like he was dying but she couldn't, because it was all true.

"Stop it," she murmured, eyes pricking with angry tears.

His voice was thick with emotion. "I was foolish. I should have listened to you but all I did was push you away and hurt you, more and more with each passing day. I'm sorry." He choked on his words. "I'm sorry. I lost sight of what was important."

Erza could hear the unspoken message.

_I've forgotten my love for you and I'm sorry. _

_I'm so sorry._

"I saw you as my Knight but I forgot that you are so much more," he inhaled sharply, his body racked by a shuddering gasp.

Erza blinked back her tears. She could see that he was in a lot of pain, his body stiff and rigid because excruciating pain shot through his torso with every little movement. Even breathing was a chore by itself. Still, he wouldn't stop speaking and she knew why. He was saying his final goodbye.

"You are my Queen and when I die, this kingdom will be yours. I trust you…to take care of things." Hot tears leaked out from the corner of his eyes and she smoothed the blue locks from his face in a desperate but futile attempt to comfort him. It didn't escape her notice that he had said 'when' and not 'if'.

He groped around for her hand and her heart sank as she realised that his vision was fading. Gently, she took his hand in hers, placing a tender kiss on the back of his hand. "You're not dying, Jellal. Just hold on for a little longer."

He didn't have the strength to laugh but she could see the crinkle at the corner of his eyes. "I love you."

She closed her eyes, burying her face in his shoulder. To hear him say those words after all these years stung. He wasn't only saying it because he was dying. He was saying it because he meant every word. He was saying it because he had loved her once but somewhere along the line, they had gotten lost and he needed to remind her. He needed to remind himself.

Her hands fisted in his robes as a mixture of anger and sorrow washed over her.

She had loved him as well, she had always loved him, but she had locked away that particular emotion in her heart during those lost years and had forgotten about it over time. Truth be told, she was still hurting from all of that. It was impossible to forgive and forget 3 years worth of hurt in just one day. She would never admit it like some sort of love struck teenager, but he had broken her heart when he had chosen to neglect her and dismiss her.

And now that he was dying, still she could not bring herself to say those three words back to him. She couldn't, because the knowledge that he was dying, that she was powerless to stop it, was invoking all sorts of unfamiliar feelings within her. The feeling of vulnerability was overwhelming her and she was trying so hard to keep it all together. Saying those words, laying bare her soul to him, would cause her to lose what little self control she still possessed and she would fall apart, the remnants of her broken heart shattering into a million tiny pieces before crumbling into nothing but dust.

And so she settled for the simplest of answers.

"I know," she murmured.

That was all she could bear to say.

He looked at her, eyes shining with tears, and smiled gently.

And she knew he understood.

He always did. He was the only who ever did.

An urgent knock sounded on the door. Brushing away the silent tears staining her cheeks, Erza pulled Jellal's mask back up and stood up.

He grabbed her by the wrist. "Don't follow me, Erza."

Erza stared at him in bewilderment. Follow him? He knew that she had to go down to the Underworld to kill the necromancer and to save him, why was he saying such stupid things?

She shrugged off his hand. He must have been confused because of the fever.

Hesitating, she spoke softly, unable to stop the resentment from slipping into her tone. "Then don't go where I can't follow."

His whisper ripped at her heart.

"Never."

Jellal's eyes fluttered shut.

They were running out of time.

"Come in," she ordered, voice steady and expression neutral, masking the inner turmoil tormenting her.

Lahar entered the room, opening the door to allow their two guests to step in after him. "Captain Knightwalker, Lady Ultear and Lady Minerva as requested."

"Ah, if it isn't the lovely Captain Knightwalker," Ultear smiled coyly, a hand on her hip. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Erza bit back a growl. Now was not the time for arguing.

"Lady Ultear, Lady Minerva," she greeted the two women with a curt nod in their direction. "I have need of your assistance."

Ultear quirked an elegant eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Now what could I possibly help you with?"

The redhead looked furious and she rounded on Lahar. "Did you not bring them up to speed?"

Lahar sputtered nervously as Ultear tossed back her head and laughed.

She waved at Erza. "I was just kidding, your boy here has told me all about the necromancer and his summonings. But what do you need me here for? I cannot help you with defeating the necromancer."

Erza stepped aside and gestured at Mystogan. "I need you to slow down his body's processes. His soul is tainted and he's dying. I need you to slow the process down, buy me some time to get it back."

"Get it back how?"

Minerva's eyes lit up as it dawned on her. "I believe that's where I come in. I can open a small portal for Captain Knightwalker to slip through into the Underworld."

Erza nodded. "I will…"

"Wait," Ultear held up her hand, "why should I help you? Last time we met, my country ended up a colony to Edolas. This whole situation does not concern me. After all, you're going to kill the necromancer either way."

The captain stormed up to her and opened her mouth to argue with the raven, her hand twitching at the sword strapped to her waist when Ultear smirked and waved her hands dismissively. "I'm just kidding. Edolas has been kind to us. I have full autonomy over Devlin and it has never seen better times. I will repay the favour."

"I ask that you stop joking around, Lady Ultear," Erza bit out tersely, "we are running short of time."

Ultear ignored her and knelt down beside Mystogan. "And this is?"

"My husband." Erza could feel the heat creeping up at the back of her neck as the two women looked at her in surprise.

"What?" She snapped irritably.

Ultear shot Minerva an amused look before returning her attention to the bedridden man. She placed a hand over his heart. Her lips twisted into a grimace and a dark look clouded her face as she felt his fading heartbeat. With a sigh, a purple glow surrounded her palms and slowly spread to Mystogan's chest.

"He doesn't have much longer," Ultear said grimly. "I can slow it down as much as I can but I can only do so as long as my magic doesn't run out. You should hurry to the Underworld, Captain."

Erza inhaled deeply, fighting the urge to panic. "How much time can you give me?"

"I have no idea," Ultear admitted, eyes never leaving her hands. "This spell takes a lot of concentration and energy so I would say not more than a day."

"One day?" Erza ran a hand through her hair in frustration, desperation building up in her chest. "There is no way I can finish everything in one day!"

"Captain Knightwalker," Lahar's voice cut through the air. "Time works differently in the Underworld. There are suggestions in the Scrolls that time is slower in the other realm."

"Well, we have no way of knowing how time works so just hurry," Ultear said, grimacing. "Here we go, this is going to get very ugly."

"What?" Erza asked, eyes flickering between the woman and Mystogan.

"I'm going to need someone to hold him down for a moment," Ultear said slowly, concentrating on her spell. "His soul is slowly being drawn to the Underworld and he's already in a lot of pain as we can all see. But by slowing down everything in his body, he will feel _every_ bit of pain that comes along with it. In fact, the pain will be amplified by as much as the rate at which I'm going to slow it down to."

"I'll do it. Captain Knightwalker needs to go as soon as possible." Lahar moved over to Mystogan's side and placed both hands on his arms. Adjusting his position slightly, he clambered onto the bed and sat down on his legs.

Ultear glanced at him. "It will last a while until I can get his body into a stable semi-comatose state. I just hope that he'll pass out from the pain before then." She shot the other two women a glance. "Go."

"I will open a small portal which you will step through, Captain," Minerva explained. "It will all happen really quickly so you'll have to focus. Unfortunately, inter-realm portals are too unstable to allow more than 1 person to pass through so you'll be on your own."

They were startled as Mystogan suddenly let out a loud cry, his body convulsing violently as the magic settled into his body. He thrashed around in agony, eyes squeezed shut as he screamed, straining against Lahar's hold. With a sudden explosion of raw strength, fueled purely by his pain, Mystogan broke free of Lahar's grip with an almighty roar. Lahar scrambled to hold him down, cursing loudly. The breath caught in Erza's throat as she witnessed the dying man's pain and she fought to keep her body from shaking.

"Hold him Lahar!" Ultear barked. "Hold him or else I won't be able to do this."

"I'm trying," Lahar ground out between gritted teeth.

His biceps bulged, muscles strained and rigid and a thick layer of sweat covered his exposed chest. Mystogan cried out again, voice hoarse and cracked, his back arching off of the bed, eyes rolled back into his head. Choking on his own spit, he bucked uncontrollably against Lahar's restraint like a man possessed, twisting and jerking, and Erza looked away, unwilling to watch any longer.

"Come on," Ultear muttered under her breath. "Come on, help me out here."

Erza turned around as Ultear swore loudly. "What's wrong?"

"He won't pass out from the pain and I still need a bit more time. If this goes on for too long, his heart won't be able to take the stress."

Erza looked at Minerva, eyes wide. Time was racing against them and every second counted but he _needed_ her. If she left now, then there was a chance he would die before they could buy them more time. After the briefest of hesitation, Erza snarled angrily and pushed past Lahar to stand by Mystogan's side.

He was finding it difficult to breathe and she pulled down his mask without a second thought. Gasping, the colour rushed back into his cheeks as the air filled his lungs. Erza ignored the gasps and mutters around the room as the others recognised the King. She placed a hand on his neck, trying to find a pulse.

Fuck, Ultear was right, he was tachycardic.

"Jellal," Erza slapped his cheek hard, "Jellal, you need to calm down."

Jellal opened his eyes, dazed from the pain. His head snapped back as another fresh wave of pain coursed through his veins and he screamed in anguish. Erza felt his pulse once more. His carotid artery was pulsating too quickly. At this rate, his heart would not be able to take the stress and he could possibly suffer a heart attack.

"Jellal, breathe in. Breathe out."

Her hands clenched into fists, mind working furiously. He was in too much pain to control himself.

"Captain…" Ultear started warningly.

Erza made an angry noise at the back of her throat. She grabbed him by the chin. She knew that he couldn't see her clearly but she really needed him to focus. "Jellal. Jellal, look at me."

Jellal struggled to keep his eyes open as he focused on her. He knew what she was trying to do. He crushed her hand in his in a silent plea, the latest attack leaving him breathless.

"Look at me. In. Out. In. Out."

He bit back another scream, biting the bottom of his lip so forcefully that he drew blood. Tears streamed down the sides of his face but his eyes never left her face and slowly, his breathing evened out although spasms still racked his body, tortured cries escaping his lips between laboured grunts and gasps.

She leaned down to whisper in his ear, tears blurring her vision for a moment. "Wait for me, Jellal. You have to wait for me ok?"

He gave her hand a squeeze in response and whispered hoarsely. "Always."

Straightening up, Erza let go of his hand and moved towards Minerva. Jellal closed his eyes and silence descended upon the room.

Lahar withdrew his hands sharply, visibly shaken. Ultear's expression betrayed nothing and she said smoothly, "His condition is stable now. I can only maintain his semi-comatose state until my magic runs out so you should go now, Captain Knightwalker."

"Thank you," Erza said shakily. "Lahar, you and Hughes will assume command temporarily until I return. I trust this whole thing will remain a secret between us."

The three of them looked at Erza and nodded. It had still yet to sink in that the cold and unforgiving Captain had married the kind monarch.

Erza surveyed them for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she waited as Minerva waved a hand, slicing open the air and creating a portal. She stole one last look at Jellal and stepped through into the other world.

* * *

_Where are you now? Are you lost? Will I find you again?_

_Are you alone? Are you afraid? Are you searching for me?_

* * *

He was drifting aimlessly in the water, the light filtering through the surface shimmering around him teasingly. It was quiet, the blue waters surrounding him slowly nudging him with the current, and a sense of serenity washed over him.

Jellal twisted around, feeling the waters push against him. He felt so peaceful right now, merely floating around in the water. He smiled, closing his eyes.

_The blond grabbed him by his robes, pulling him roughly towards him, clearly incensed. _

_His hands closed around the man's wrists in return. "Don't you trust Erza?" _

_Snarling, Laxus shoved him back roughly. "Could you just think with your head for once?"_

_He paused. The same old problem seemed to present itself whenever Erza was involved. With her in the picture, he could just never think rationally. Laxus was right. His feelings were clouding his judgement._

_He didn't speak, the words ringing in his head._

The image dissolved around him and he was left staring into the blue waters once more.

_It whistled through the air before lodging into his shoulder, creating a momentum that spun him around. He stumbled backwards into the river, nearly losing his footing as the raging currents threatened to pull him under. His shoulder throbbed painfully and he looked up through a haze of pain, trying to locate his attacker. He didn't even have a chance to compose himself as two more arrows hit him square in the chest._

_With each arrow, he stumbled backwards with the impact, the breath knocked out of him. Swaying on his feet, he fell to his knees as his legs suddenly gave way beneath him. He remained kneeling for a moment, gasping for air, before he pitched forward motionless, allowing the surging rapids to engulf his body and swallow him whole._

Jellal's eyes flew open as he woke up abruptly, taking in a large gulp of air. He was lying near the shores of the riverbed, the cold water lapping at his legs, his thoroughly soaked clothing clinging to his form. His chest heaved as the air filled his lungs and he scrambled to his feet unsteadily. The cool water trickled down the back of his neck and down onto his…armour?

He looked down, his hands trailing down his chest in confusion. He was wearing his armour, complete with his pants and boots. His hand shot up to his face. He didn't have his bandana or mask but the stiffness in his back told him that his staves were still strapped to his back. The sword at his waist hung loosely as he stood up and turned around, surveying his surroundings.

The mist was moving in, shading the world a forlorn grey, and a chilly breeze swept through the area. Jellal shivered. Dark eyes scanned the shady forest, darting about with every flicker of a shadow and with every rustle of loose leaves in the wind.

He was in the Underworld.

Feeling something tugging at his feet, he watched in horror as icy frost slowly coated his boots, creeping upwards. Wrenching his feet from the grasps of the icy waters, he bounded onto dry land, turning around just in time to see the entire river freeze into solid ice.

He dropped down onto the grass, feeling it crunch crisply underneath his weight. A sudden rustling behind him startled him and Jellal leapt to his feet, unsheathing his sword in one swift motion. Judging by the noise that it was making, whatever was coming was big.

The rustling subsided soon and he waited with bated breath for what was to come. But nothing came. Instead, a piercing crackling sounded behind him. The sudden chill hit him from behind and he raised his sword, turning around quickly, watching as a creature emerged from the ice on the river. It rose up from the ice, joints cracking as it literally shook out its solid mane.

Jellal dropped his sword with a hiss as the frost crept its way to the weapon's handle. Everything was freezing over. The man retreated swiftly, pulling out one of his staves, eyeing the beast warily. He had no idea if he could use magic in the Underworld, but if what Lahar had said was true, then there should be an abundance of magic surrounding him.

The beast advanced, claws clicking on the ice. With each step it took, chunks of ice would fall off like pieces of sparkling diamond before they regenerated almost instantaneously. Jellal twirled his staff menacingly. The creature was made up of solid ice and its movements were hugely restricted by its semi-solid state so he had mobility on his side. All he needed to do was to blast this thing into oblivion.

Almost as if it could read his thoughts, the summoning stopped abruptly. Jellal tensed and immediately started to summon his magic. His heart did a flip as he found that it was working. But then, the beast shot towards him. One moment it was still standing in the middle of the frozen river, the next it was right in front of him.

Jellal's eyes widened at its unexpected speed. Its jaws were wide open, head titled slightly to its left and Jellal knew that it was aiming for his neck. And he was too slow to do anything.

Just as it was about to bite down, a yellow blast smashed into its side, shattering it into a thousand glittering shards of ice.

Jellal shielded his eyes from the flying pieces as it rained down upon him like snow. As he lowered his arm, a figure emerged from behind the trees and his eyes widened at the sight of the blue haired man.

"No no no no no," he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. "What are you doing here?"

Jellal dropped his staff in surprise and the heavy wooden instrument clattered onto the ground. He took a hesitant step forward, hand outstretched in disbelief.

"Laxus?"

* * *

**Author's note:**

I feel kinda bad that all my author's notes end up so long.

So Hymn of the Missing (Guillotine Remix) by Red really suits the entire story, basically the entire story of Necromancer is summed up in that song (not really but it's close). I've actually made a playlist of songs for Necromancer (link in profile, not that any of you are going to use it) but how it works is:

* * *

**Underworld 5 – Acre Underworld – Assassin's Creed OST**

(Story scene where song starts) (The song is video no. 5 in playlist)

* * *

Just out of curiousity, did anyone actually go listen to the songs? The OST ones I recommend really help with the mood of the scene because I just don't feel like my writing does the scene justice the way it plays in my head.

I'll admit, I had way too much fun writing about Jellal's "death". In my head, if Jellal and Erza were alone, she would have been swallowing his screams with a kiss but yeah, not happening here though it keeps playing in my head.

Royai quotes? Check. Always is Forever reference? Check. Retribution stuff? Check.

And the ending, who liked the ending here?

I actually finished this sometime around the 7th but I was going to wait till the 17th to get it up since it's my birthday. Presents please?

And the two of them are finally in the Underworld, here's where the real fun begins and where I can try out this "new form" of angst that I've been dying to do. Let's see how I handle subtle angst. Next chapter's going to be an absolute bitch to write because I'm going to explain more about the Underworld and why Jellal's there even though he's not dead yet, and it's a pain in the butt since it's so complicated.

I actually have this companion piece called Continuum set during the 7 lost years, so it's after R but before N, but I haven't finished it yet which is a shame since it would have tied in nicely with the story. But hey, at least I've finished one of my Christmas fics already?

On another completely separate note, we've got Mirime coming back and I know some new guys, Dreadpool and SA, are going to pick up Mystwalker so things are looking great! I might wait to decide whether to go with "absence makes the heart grow fonder" or "the gratification comes in the doing, not in the results".


End file.
